How to download your chart as PDF

In this article, we'll explain how to download your chart, map or table as a PDF, e.g. to print it or to embed it in a presentation. All our PDFs are completely vector-based and can be edited in vector graphics software like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape.

You can download your visualization as a PDF if your organization has a Custom or Enterprise account at Datawrapper.

Note that PDF is a vector-based image format, not a raster-based one: An chart saved as PDF can be zoomed in and scaled up indefinitely without becoming pixelated. That said, PDFs can't be inserted well in Word documents or content management systems (CMS). If this is your use case, export your chart as a PNG instead. You can learn how to do so here.

How to choose the PDF export

To choose the PDF export, go to step 4: Publish & Embed. Click on the button that says "PDF", and you'll see options appearing below it.

Options when downloading your chart as a PDF

When you click on the PDF button, you'll see four settings. Three of them define the size.

The width and height of your format are pre-filled with the width and height of your chart as you've defined in step 3: Visualize. Type in new numbers in the Format text fields in your chosen Units (inch, mm, pixel) to change the size of your PDF. Doing so allows you to also define the ratio (e.g. when typing in 500px x 1000px instead of 1000px x 1000px). You can also enter very high numbers like 4000 x 50000 px – something you wouldn't be able to display in step 3.

You can also use the Scale factor at the bottom to change the size. It's a useful setting if you need to download the same charts multiple times in different scales and don't want to do the math in your head.

On the right side, you can always see the final size/ratio of your PDF as you will download it.

Note that the text elements in your chart – e.g. title, description, notes, source or annotation –
don't get bigger when you increase the size. That means that
Format and
Scale factor let you also define how big/small you want your text elements to be in comparison with other chart elements.

There are two remaining settings:

Include: Decide if your PDF should include the header (title, description) and footer (source, notes) or just the chart. Again you will see a preview of your choice.

Color mode: Here you have the choice between RGB (meaning "red, green, blue") or CYMK (meaning "cyan, yellow, magenta, black"). CMYK are print colors, while RGB is for everything digital. If you want to print your chart eventually (e.g. in a magazine), use CMYK. If you want to show your chart in a report or presentation that people can download on the web, use RGB.

Once you're done, click the
Download PDF button. Depending on the final size of your chart, generating the PDF might take some time on our end. You'll see a loading circle indicating that.